


Man's Best Pal

by CityofAangels



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Dogs, F/M, Fluff, Love, M/M, Nightmares, PTSD, PTSD Dogs, Service Dogs, So Many Dogs, Soldiers, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2017-04-27
Packaged: 2018-10-12 17:03:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10495557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CityofAangels/pseuds/CityofAangels
Summary: After coming back from Afghanistan with PTSD, Tony had to wait for a very long time to get a service dog – that ultimately changed his life.He decided to create his own association so vets shouldn't have to wait for so long.And then, one day, one James Barnes is there to get his own dog, with one Greek god named Steve Rogers, who does not have PTSD, thank you very much, in tow.And Tony's life changes again.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya!
> 
> I. Love. Dogs.  
> I had no idea that dogs could be used for humans suffering from PTSD, and once I discovered they could, I could not get this idea out of my head.  
> Tony helped by a very cute dog to recover from Afghanistan? Yes please.  
> So there it is.
> 
> Unfortunately, I never had a dog, which is one of my life's biggest tragedies. I also don't suffer from PTSD.
> 
> The idea of the association comes from this association: http://www.thisableveteran.org  
> All my data about PTSD comes from various websites.
> 
> Tony's dog looks like that: http://cdn1-www.dogtime.com/assets/uploads/gallery/border-collie-dog-breed-pictures/4-frisbee.jpg
> 
> Also, English is not my first language and this work is unfortunately not beta-ed, which means stupid mistakes. Sorry!

The penthouse was surprisingly silent. Frighteningly silent, even. Tony froze before entering the kitchen and listened attentively; he could barely hear something panting in another room.

‘’You idiot,’’ he grinned, tip-toeing on his floor. ‘’You would be a terrible murderer if you tried. Don’t ever try. Can you imagine if your victim had some biscuits on them? You’d just lick them to death.’’

He stopped at the door to the living room and chuckled when he saw his dog’s black and white ears protruding from the top of his couch.

‘’I swear, Giz, you’re hopeless. Were you really trying to make me think you’d disappeared? I just have to shake your box of food –,’’ and at this, Gizmo jumped from the couch and ran to Tony, ‘’or well, okay, I just have to say food and you come running. C’me on, big boy, breakfast’s served. Big day today, I’ll need you.’’

The dog just stroked his head against Tony’s legs, not moving, and the genius smiled, looking down at his cute border collie. Gizmo sometimes was adorably stupid, but God, he had no idea where he would be without the ball of fur and kindness that shared his life for these past four years. He stroked his white head, fingers scratching the little patches of black they found, before taking a few steps back and going back to the kitchen, knowing without even having to hear it that his dog was following him.  
Once Gizmo was focused on inhaling his food and Tony was seated with some toasts and orange juice, he got his phone out and called Pepper, wanting to avoid the wrath that would follow if he forgot his weekly morning call.

‘’Hey Pep’’, he greeted her when she answered.  
‘’Hello, Tony! How’s my favorite dog?’’  
‘’I am very fine today, Pepper, and yes, indeed that is a very bright and sunny day. I’m glad to see you’re worried about my health.’’  
‘’Oh, Tony, you poor baby. I know you’re fine, I can hear it in your voice. And it’s an association day, right? You’re always fine during these.’’  
‘’Yeah, okay, you got me. Do you want to hear Gizmo’s voice, too, so you know he’s fine?’’ and, without waiting for an answer, he hold his phone in his dog’s direction, ‘’say hello to Pep, Giz’!’’

The dog stopped eating for a few seconds and barked, once, before getting back to his food without waiting. Tony couldn’t help but roll his eyes when he heard Pepper cooing in the phone.

‘’You should get a dog, you know.’’  
‘’Well, Tony, you know that I want one, but I can’t. Poor thing would be alone all day…’’  
‘’Yeah, yeah, and meanwhile you steal all my dog’s love for you. I know what you’re doing Miss Potts, don’t think you’re smooth!’’  
‘’Get ready, Tony, and stop saying stupid things,’’ Pepper snorted. ‘’This dog loves you more than his food, nothing I can do about that.’’  
‘’Maybe. But he wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.’’  
‘’Are you really gonna talk about that again? You probably thanked me a thousand times, Tony. Stop with that and get ready, you’re gonna be late!’’  
‘’Okay, okay, sorry for being thankful! Won’t do that again. Good luck for your day, Pep. See you tomorrow.’’  
‘’Good luck to you too, Tony. And say hello to the dogs for me!’’  
‘’Sure. They’ll be pleased to know that the most powerful CEO of the time thinks of them. Bye, Pep. Kick some ass!’’  
‘’I will. Have a nice day, Tony.’’

Tony hung the phone up, a smile on his face, and stretched, yawning. Pepper was right about his good mood: he was always happy – and, yeah, okay, a bit stressed – when he could spend the day at his association. Today was a special day, too; the veterans that had been chosen for the program would get their first look at what was waiting for them, and could meet some of the dogs. That was always a very special day, and if Tony was not on a whole different part of the world, he made sure to be there for it. After all, it was him who had established the association, he could be here when he wanted to.

‘’What do you say, Gizmo, should we walk for a bit before going there? Do you want to stretch your paws, too, uh?’’

The dog looked at him, mouth wide open, white bowl of food lying totally empty at his feet and, once more, a wave of love and gratitude overtook Tony for a while. He got up, opened a cupboard and got some dog biscuits he gave to the border collie, chuckling when the dog ate them in a few seconds.

‘’You’re a big eater, that’s for sure. Walking won’t hurt you. We’re out of here in five minutes, you better be ready, I don’t want to be late,’’ he added as he left the room to brush his teeth.

The dog barked in answer and Tony smiled as he heard the unmistakable sound of his paws on the floor. He wasn’t surprised to see Gizmo sitting in front of the door, waiting for him next to his harness when he came back.

‘’Such a good boy,’’ he said while stroking his long fur, taking his blue camouflage harness in his hands. ‘’Come on, left paw, right paw, you know the drill!’’

He quickly got his dog into his harness, the big ‘PTSD Service Dog; Do no pet me, I’m working!’ writing on both sides unmissable and clipped the leash on before opening the door. He snorted when the dog purposefully ignored the elevator’s door right in front of the penthouse’s entrance and went for the stairs instead.

‘’I know that you’re not a big fan of elevators, Giz, but that’s too many floors for me at such an early hour. Plus, Happy told me he would be there in twenty minutes, doesn’t leave a lot of time for walking. Elevator it is for today, big boy.’’

Gizmo looked at him for a few seconds and changed direction, sitting down in front of the elevator’s doors instead. A moment later, they were inside, and Tony had a ball of fur glued to his leg. He whistled a familiar tune and pet his dog gently – he avoided taking the elevator as much as he could, knowing that Gizmo was not fully comfortable in them, even if he never refused to get in, but it was sometimes hard to do when you lived on the 76th floor – during the whole short ride downstairs. They arrived in the basement garage and went to the hidden door that led them in a small alley, way more discreet when they wanted to go outside quickly than crossing a hallway full of tourists and employees. Gizmo knew where they were going and led the way to their favorite park, a few blocks away.

They spent a few minutes there, playing fetch, until a cute little girl approached them, running with her hands stretched out, shrieking ‘Doggo!’.

‘’No Emily!’’ shouted the mom, a few steps behind. ‘’You can’t pet this one!’’  
‘’It’s all fine, don’t worry,’’ smiled Tony. ‘’His day has not begun yet, she can pet him.’’

The kid was watching him intently, a hand burrowed in Gizmo’s fur, big blue eyes wide with wonder.

‘’Why Mom said I can’t pet the dog?’’  
‘’Emily…’’ warned the mum, an awkward smile on her lips.  
‘’Well, princess, that is a very good question. You see the harness Gizmo is wearing? It means that he is a very special dog for me. He helps me when I’m not feeling that great and that’s why he needs to be focused on me. And he loves when kids come see him, which means that he’s not focused anymore when it happens. Do you understand?’’  
‘’Yes,’’ nodded the kid with a serious look on her face. ‘’But now I can?’’  
‘’Yeah, you can. He’s still on break, so he can play with you for a bit if you want.’’

The kid smiled, a very bright smile, and took the ball that Tony was holding for her, throwing it as far away as she could and shrieking with laughter when Gizmo went running for it. Tony grinned and looked up to see the mom watching him shyly.

‘’Sorry about that, mister Stark,’’ she apologized, blushing. ‘’It’s just… she’s a huge fan of dogs and we can’t have one – her father’s allergic. So she can’t resist when she sees one, she just has to pet him.’’  
‘’It’s all fine, don’t worry about that. I loved dogs when I was her age too, I get it. I can’t stay long today, but we often come here with Gizmo, so don’t hesitate to come and say hi if you see us again. Giz loves kids, you have no idea.’’  
‘’That is very nice of you, thank you very much,’’ she answered, blushing a bit more – Tony was grinning inwardly. ‘’Emily! Come on, the dog has to get to work now, and we need to get going too.’’

Emily pouted but came back, Gizmo panting next to her with the ball in his mouth. She crouched and hugged the dog, whispering inaudible things in his ear, before getting up.

‘’Thank you very much, doggo,’’ she said solemnly. ‘’Have a good day. Thank you sir for letting me play with your dog,’’ she added, turning to Tony.  
‘’That was a pleasure, princess. Gizmo seems to love you!’’

Tony smiled when the girl beamed and waved when she left with her mom, jumping around and talking excitedly. Ah, kids. They could be cute when they weren’t yours.  
He clipped the leash on Gizmo’s harness again and checked his watch – they were on time to get back to the tower without having to run. Good. They took their time to walk back and when they arrived, Happy was waiting for them, a few meters away from the biggest crowds. He greeted Tony and opened the door for him (no matter how many times Tony said that it wasn’t necessary, he still did it); Gizmo jumped inside and Tony followed, chatting with Happy during the whole ride to the association’s building, away from the noise of the city.

They arrived forty-five minutes later and Tony stretched when he got out, looking appreciatively at the modern and large building he had bought for his ‘little furry project’, as Pepper called it. A dozen of cars were already parked in front of it, which meant that most of the vets had already arrived – military punctuality, he could appreciate it.  
He took a deep breath and stroked Gizmo’s fur, matching his breathing with the dog’s. The day of new arrivals was always a bit stressing, so many strangers who were most of the time completely lost in the environment they had forgotten existed, who were traumatized by what they had seen and, most of the time, badly coping. Not that Tony judged them – been there, done that, he knew what a nightmare that was. But now, Gizmo was there for him, sensing his anxiety and helping him settle down. And that’s what he hoped to achieve with all the vets who were probably waiting for him inside.  
He took a last deep breath, petted Gizmo for a while longer before walking to the front door. The hallway inside was filled with about twenty people, most of them back to a wall, watching their surroundings suspiciously. He looked at them, still mostly hidden by the door, noting that about half of them were women, and –  
Oh God. Did that blonde guy’s shoulders ever stop?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get more explanation of why Tony started the association.  
> Also, first interaction between Steve and Tony! And, well... that could have gone better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a hell of a long day, with an headache who absolutely did not want to leave, but your comments made me smile all day anyway.  
> Thank you so much, honestly! It's so nice to read what you think, and I'm so glad that you enjoy it.
> 
> So, here's the second chapter, 'cause I needed to relax, and what better way than with dogs and Tony?
> 
> FYI, Clint's dog looks like that: https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/images/classifieds/2017/02/27/1527445/labrador-puppies-black-and-yellow-58b438a4310fc.jpg
> 
> And Natasha's looks like this: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/864128247222140356/
> 
>  
> 
> English still isn't my first language, and that's not beta-ed. Also, it's almost midnight here and my tattoo's itching like crazy, so mistakes are bound to happen. I'll re-read that tomorrow.
> 
> Enjoy!

Okay, okay, Tony, _breathe_. Gizmo was at his feet, whining desperately, and Tony pet him gently to reassure him. Everything was fine, there was just a – well, a Greek god, in the room right next to him. But apart from that, really, everything was fine.

He swore under his breath and breathed deeply. Goddamit, he was going to be _fine_. He had dealt with kidnappers who wanted him dead, with an abusive father, and for years he had had a different top model at his arm every week; a very attractive guy was not going to make him freak out. Certainly not.

He jumped when a car door shut a few meters away and plastered a smile on his lips, just in time to see Natasha and Clint approaching him, both of them accompanied by two dogs.

 

''Well, _hello_ , guys!'' he almost shouted, blushing when they raised their eyebrows. ''How's life going?''

''Smooth, Stark. What did you do this time?''

''I really appreciate your trust, Barton. Give the man a job, a house and a dog, and that's what you get. Thank you very much.''

''Yeah, yeah, whatever. What happened?''

''Nothing,'' lied Tony, pointedly ignoring Natasha's stare and waving his hands around. ''Just, you know… people. Lots of people waiting for me. Stage fright?'' he asked more than stated, and winced when his friends looked at each other.

''Riiiiight,'' drawled Clint. ''We're late, so we'll let you get out of this one for now, but don't think we'll forget. We're watching you.''

 

They both made the universal sign for ''we're watching you'' at the same time – and really, that was creepy as hell – before opening the door and holding it for Tony. He got inside and froze for a quarter of a second when he felt all the eyes turning to him. Then he waved extremely awkwardly (he was pretty sure he heard Clint snort behind him) and took a few steps inside; some vets immediately approached him to shake his hand and thank him, and he smiled shyly, thanking them for their service. He kept an eye on blond-and-broad-shouldered guy – he _had_ to find a better name – and his friend (boyfriend? husband? brother?) but they didn't move from the corner of the room.

 

''Right!'' he called out once he had shaken every hand that wanted to be shaken. ''Welcome to Human's Best Pal! I'm glad to see you all there today, and I hope that you are too. We're gonna move this to one of our reunion rooms, so we can sit down and wait for the last people to arrive. Then I'm gonna talk to you for a bit, and Clint and Natasha will introduce themselves,'' he explained, vaguely gesturing at his two friends. ''I know that being surrounded by strangers right now is probably stressing, so if you feel the need to get outside at any moment, please do not hesitate; we'll be there later to answer questions, so we'll just go over what you missed should it come to that. And just so you know, security is top-notch in here, nothing to fear except over-enthusiastic puppies.''

 

He smiled when this got him the chuckles he was waiting for and led the way as Clint and Nat went through another door to leave the dogs they were taking care of with another employee. They got settled in one of the biggest reunion rooms, and Tony slipped into host mode, introducing himself to people, asking them if they wanted to drink something, Gizmo trotting next to him. He left blonde guy and his… companion last, mostly because they were at the end of the table, but also so he could mentally prepare himself.

 

''Hey guys,'' he said with a smile, looking behind him when he heard more people get in. ''I'm Tony, really nice to see you in here. Are both of you here to get a dog?''

''Nah,'' answered the brunette. ''Just me. I'm Bucky, by the way. And, you know, thanks for everything, that, and… this.''

 

Tony watched as Bucky shrugged out of his jacket, reveling his prosthetic left arm, and looked up, frowning.

 

''Oh!'' he suddenly exclaimed. ''I knew your face was familiar. That's one of the last models, right?''

''Yep,'' nodded Bucky. ''Well, at least that's what I was told. Wouldn't know an old one from a new one, to be honest.''

''Oh no, trust me, you'd know. These ones are way lighter. Anyway, I was there when they first put it on, don't know if you remember.''

''I don't. I was pretty out of it for a long while, everything's kinda fuzzy.''

 

And, right there, Tony had _once more_ talked about the exact thing he shouldn't have talked about, if they way Bucky's face suddenly clouded over and his friend (what _was_ his name?) glared at him were any indication. He barely contained a sigh of relief when Clint came back and told him that everybody was there and that they could get started; at least, he wouldn't be able to fuck this talk up. Hopefully. He got in front of the room, which suddenly fell silent.

 

''Hello again, and welcome to those of you who haven't seen me yet! As I was saying before, if you feel like you need air at one point, you can leave and we'll catch you up if we need to. Hum, I guess most of you already know me, but for those who don't, I'm Tony Stark, and that is Gizmo,'' he explained, pointing at his dog. ''I've been told that my life's not that interesting, so I won't talk too much about it, but…'' he cleared his throat and blushed lightly when he saw that all the veteran's eyes were fixed on him. ''About five years ago, I was in Afghanistan to show some of my new weapons to the army. Long story short, that didn't go exactly as planned, and I was captured. The two people right there were part of the team that saved my ass,'' he winked at Natasha and Clint who smiled and waved, ''but they arrived a month later, and I had already seen and lived some pretty awful stuff. When I came back here, I shut down the weapons production, and got very familiar with panic attacks and nightmares. Media didn't talk much about it, even if I never hid it, but well, I was diagnosed with PTSD once my girlfriend of the time dragged my ass to a psy. A few weeks later, he was telling me to apply to get a service dog, and I was laughing just at the idea.''

 

He smiled lightly, remembering the time where he had found the notion pretty stupid: a dog, helping him to manage a trauma that deep? Yeah, no.

 

''Well, once more, my girlfriend intervened – and, seriously, don't ever try to tell her no if you like your body the way it is,'' he chuckled, seeing some of the vets smile indulgently. ''Anyway, I applied, and I had to wait about a year to get news, but then I met Gizmo. It's… honestly, it's hard to explain what it changed, but from the beginning, Giz was there for me when I needed him to distract me. He knows the first signs of a panic attack or of a nightmare, you see, and he's there to stop them before they take epic proportions. Let me tell you, it's far easier to let yourselves get distracted by a bouncing dog than to get through a panic attack all alone, even if you sometimes get kind of tired of throwing a ball. I guess you can understand that.''

 

He wasn't surprised in the least when most of the people in the room nodded gravely, Bucky included – he was listening attentively, and he smiled when he saw Gizmo nosing at Tony's pockets, apparently smelling food.

 

''Only problem with my dog? He's a freaking big eater,'' laughed Tony. ''Come on, take a biscuit and let me talk, it's not polite to interrupt people, you should know that. Where was I already? Oh, yeah. Well, as I said, I had to wait for a whole year before getting Gizmo, and this year was hell on me. I kept complaining about it after everything was done, and people just kept telling me that I should do something about it. So I did. This association is far from perfect, and it frustrates me to no ends that we can't help more people – the people who have to choose between all the veterans that could benefit from a dog keep complaining about that, and I swear that I'm working on that – but well, at least once you apply, you get an answer in the month, and you don't wait for more than three months before getting your dog if you're chosen to get one. The first two to benefit from it were Nat and Clint, actually. They got injured and came back about two years after me; we only had a very small number of dogs trained at this point, as people were kind of confused about what exactly I was trying to do. So I took them as guinea pigs, gave them dogs, and now they work for me.''

''Only 'cause the pay's not bad!''

''Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that, Barton. Anyway, I think that's all I had to tell you. I'll let Natasha and Clint explain what exactly the association does and what to expect for the next few weeks. If you've got any question for me, don't hesitate to ask me.''

 

He swapped his place with his two friends and rolled his eyes when Clint held his hand for a high-five – how old was this man, seriously? – but clapped it all the same, aware that it would be pretty impolite to leave him hanging with all the people watching them. He sat on a corner of the room, opposite to Bucky and the blonde guy, and listened to what Clint and Natasha had to say.

 

''So, I guess you got that, but I'm Clint Barton, and this is Lucky. He's a labrador, he can be kind of stupid, and also, he absolutely adores pizza, but I basically love him and couldn't be happier to have him.''

''And I'm Natasha Romanov. And this girl here is called Quena,'' explained Nat, pointing at her beautiful Australian shepherd. ''As Tony said, we both were the first lucky guinea pigs of the association, and we still work for it today. Clint is here full time, so you'll see him around, lucky you. I work elsewhere, but I keep and educate dogs that are given to the veterans, as do about thirty other volunteers. We're always looking for people willing to give their time and energy to take care of new dogs, so if some of your family members or friends could be interested, talk to them about us.''

''I'm guessing that most of you already know that, but our dogs are trained to recognize the first signs of anxiety or nightmares and to cut them short; they'll be here for you to focus on, ask for you to pet them or to take them out. They'll be here for you at all times of day and night, and trust me when I say that it's a huge relief when you find yourselves in a terrifyingly different world. We don't teach them to attack people you don't trust, or to check that a room is safe, 'cause they're here to help for your recovery, and part of your recovery is trusting that your environment is now safe. That may seem kinda weird, and you maybe think that a dog making sure that everything is safe would be more useful, but I can tell you that it's usually not the case.''

 

Tony frowned, still watching the two men; Bucky had suddenly doubled over and had his head between his knees. He was breathing quickly and shallowly, and blonde guy had a hand on his back, talking in his ear. Natasha went on, seemingly oblivious to what was happening.

 

''The next week, we will be focusing on you, and what your needs are. We'll talk to you, to your doctor, to your family if you have one, and visit your home. We want to decide which dog would best suit your needs, and even if we realize that it's hard to accept a stranger into your life, we can assure you that it is perfectly safe, and really important to do so. All people working for us have a clean police record, and most of them have served; however, if you really feel uncomfortable with the person who'll visit you, you can talk to us and ask for someone else.''

''After that, you'll come back here and actually work with the dog we have attributed to you. You'll learn to know him or her, and same goes for the dog. I warn you that you want to bring tissues for these days, 'cause our psychological team will keep you for three weeks, and make you talk and think about shit that you usually avoid. That's hard, but that's needed, and you'll feel better after doing that. And I swear that they didn't bribe me to tell that.''

 

Most of the veterans laughed, but Bucky was still having trouble breathing; whatever his friend was telling him was apparently not helping. He stood up abruptly and most heads turned to him when his chair crashed loudly to the floor. He didn't pay attention and almost ran out of the room, and Tony could notice the tears on his cheeks before he disappeared out of the door, blonde guy on his heels, a panicked expression on his face. Everybody in the room was very silent, and when Tony turned around, it was to see Natasha pointedly staring at him, an eyebrow raised. He raised both eyebrows in answer and she lightly rolled her eyes before mouthing ''go''; he nodded and got up as Clint was picking the explanation where they left it, leaving the room.

He felt like he knew where Bucky was hiding; when he had bought the building, the small and isolated patch of grass on the side farthest from the road had been a huge advantage. And indeed, that's where he found the two men, sitting back to the wall. Bucky seemed to have lost the battle against his panic attack and was panting, right hand gripping his friend's arm tightly, eyes wide open on a view that was probably not the one right in front of him. Tony watched them for a quarter of a second, full of compassion, before he unclipped the leash from Gizmo's harness.

 

''You know what to do, right?''

 

The dog trotted over to the two men and barked to get their attention. Blonde guy looked up, but Bucky was still lost in whatever flashback he was having, and didn't react. The border collie plastered himself to his side – the prosthetic arm's side – and gently licked his face, once, twice, then a third time. Slowly, Bucky's hand seemed to relax and he let it fall from his friend's arm, burrowing it in Gizmo's soft fur instead. The dog didn't stop licking him and even got a bit closer, now almost in his lap. By experience, Tony knew that Bucky could probably feel the dog's heat and heartbeat, and he had come to perceive both things as extremely helpful to help him calm down.

That seemed to work on Bucky, too; it took a long while, but he seemed to come back from the hell he had relived for a few moments, and he pet Gizmo slowly, his taunt muscles slowly relaxing. After some more time, he had both arms around the dog, and his face was burrowed in his white fur; he was swearing, the words muffled.

 

''Shit. Fuck. Fucking _hell_ ,'' he groaned, finally looking up, ''I'm so sorry about that. It's… people. Closed space. Strangers.''

''I get it,'' slowly answered Tony, still standing at a respectable distance. ''Flashback, uh? Sorry, those are awful. But, between me and you? Don't ever apologize for a panic attack. It's not your fault, and shrinks love to make you suffer when you apologize for it, so, just, don't. You ok?''

''Yeah, I… think so. Can we just, like, stay here for a while?''

''Sure. Ok if I sit down? I can go back in, too.''

''No, no, it's fine. Join the fun party.''

 

Tony snorted and came nearer, sitting down next to Bucky without actually touching him. Gizmo looked at him, head tilted, before seemingly deciding that the other man needed him more right now, and he stayed put. They kept silent for a while, as Bucky wiped at his cheeks and took some deep breaths.

 

''I'm sorry, for what I said earlier,'' quietly apologized Tony. ''I didn't want to trigger anything, talked before thinking, that wasn't smart of me, and –''

''You couldn't know,'' a deep voice cut him, and Tony almost jumped when it realized that it came from the blonde guy. ''Sorry for glaring at you, by the way. And thank you, for, you know, coming for us.''

''First days can be pretty stressful, even if you're not the one getting a dog. Do you want us to start over? I'm Tony Stark, nice to meet you.''

''Steve Rogers. Same here. Do you work around here?''

 

They pointedly ignored Bucky's chuckle.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PUPPIES!
> 
> Also, Steve and Tony get to know each other a tiny bit better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Sorry for the slightly longer wait, I completely forgot that I was supposed to turn a coursework in this week, and I suddenly found myself struggling with freaking phonetics. Ugh.  
> Anyway, this chapter is slightly shorter, but I'm going back home for the holidays in two days (YAY) and I wanted to post something before leaving, so here you go!
> 
> Enjoy the puppies!

They stayed outside for a few minutes longer, Bucky silently petting Gizmo while Steve and Tony chatted about sport. Tony learned that he was a fan of baseball, – but _don't_ talk to him about the Dodgers, his hate for this team was truly impressive – of hockey and football, but soccer 'sucked' (his words) and he wasn't a huge fan of basketball.

 

''And I guess you were a quarterback back in your school days?'' asked Tony, watching  him shamelessly. ''I mean, with these shoulders, you could probably knock the whole team over before they realized what happened.''

''I wish,'' snorted Steve, ''but puberty hit late for me. These shoulders took their time to appear, and when I finally could run more than five minutes without dying, it was too late to seriously get into sport. You should see pictures of me younger, I'm pretty sure that'd make you laugh''

''No! God, did you see me? I spent years being the short kid, I wouldn't dare laugh.''

''Oh yeah, you would,'' mumbled Bucky. ''He was so scrawny it was ridiculous.''

 

The way Steve absentmindedly hit him in the shoulder confirmed Tony's suspicions that these two knew each other since a long time; Bucky's grin was nice to see, though.

 

''Did we miss everything?'' asked the veteran. ''I read your website and everything, but…''

''Nah, don't worry. Nat and Clint mostly repeat what's written on the website. They probably gave some more details on when you'll have to be there next week, but you'll just have to ask them for that. They're probably spending a bit of time with the dogs and puppies right now though, that's something you may want to do if you feel up to it?''

 

Bucky roughly nodded and stood up, gently pushing Gizmo out of his lap; the dog stood next to him, eyes on his face, ready to help if he had to.

 

''That's an amazing dog you got there.''

''Yours will be too, don't worry about that. But yeah, I have to say that Giz is pretty awesome. Don't know where I would be without him.''

''Do you keep all dogs here?'' asked Steve as they slowly walked back to the building.

''Nope. All of them are living with volunteers all over the cities, actually; we get most of them when they're puppies, so it's good for them to live in an environment close to the ones they'll have later. If they lived here, they wouldn't learn quite as well what they'll have to do later.''

''That's nice. Is it hard, finding volunteers?''

''It was, at first,'' Tony shrugged. ''For the first couple of dogs, we hired professional trainers, so we'd be sure to have perfect results. But paying for a whole year of training is not really cheap, and we began to look for other people to help. We offer them two weeks of lessons, so they know what to do, and we have a couple of professionals available every day to help them if they need it. For some of the volunteers, we help with the food. We got a lot of people willing to help right now, but we're still looking for more, so we can, you know, help more vets, so if you guys got family or friends that could be interested, talk to them about us.''

''Will do. We got a couple of friends that could like it, I'll speak to them.''

''Nice. Now, fair warning,'' smiled Tony before they entered the building. ''We asked all our volunteers to bring the dog they're taking care of, so, two things. First, that is going to be _really_ loud, sorry about that. Second, there are about ten very young and very cute puppies in there in addition to the dogs that are already trained, so be prepared, 'cause you'll probably melt. Just saying.''

''Come on, Tony,'' laughed Bucky, getting inside. ''We're veterans, we got hearts of steel!''

''Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll remind you you said that in a few minutes. Go on, just follow the barks.''

 

Both men turned right and Tony followed them, looking at Steve's back and frowning. So they were both veterans? He kind of suspected it, what with Steve standing ramrod straight, his perfectly ironed shirt, and the way he had of looking everywhere around him for an hypothetic danger, but he couldn't help but wonder if he had applied for a dog. Had he been refused? God, he'd hate for that to be true – of course, it was always hard to know that they couldn't help everybody, but actually meeting someone they had to refuse…

He was stopped in his thoughts by the unmissable sound of around thirty dogs barking, and he looked up, beaming when he saw that almost all veterans were crouched or lying down, all of them with a lap full of dogs. He let Gizmo go and enjoy the company of other dogs, walking towards Clint and Natasha, who were watching everything with a smile, back to a wall.

 

''Oh, hey, Tony! Everything fine? You were out for ages.''

''Yeah, sorry about that. Flashbacks. Gizmo took care of it, but he needed a while to breathe. How did things go with you two?''

''No problems at all. Everybody seems really excited to meet their dog, but I guess that's not very surprising. We got a couple of people thanking us for what we did, and now I'm pretty sure that most of them are thinking about stealing one of the puppies and never coming back.''

 

Tony laughed, but God, did he know the feeling. Around the room, Golden Retriever, Labrador, German and Australian Shepherd, and Border Collies puppies were running – and falling – and trying to bark menacingly – and failing. It was absolutely adorable and probably one of his favorite things with the association, and if he had to be honest, he envied Thor for the privilege to get outside and choose them. Well, maybe it was better if he didn't have to do it himself, because he was pretty sure that he would just come back with a car full of wriggling puppies every time. Thor had at least a bit more will when he was being watched by pairs of adorable eyes. Or maybe he was just hiding them all in his mansion of a house, and pretending that he had only bought one; that was not totally impossible, knowing the guy.

 

''Already some affinities?'' he asked, knowing that, from time to time, the first meeting could show the pairs that would later be officially formed.

''These two seem to be pretty much inseparable,'' answered Natasha, pointing at a young blond woman who was smiling at a big German Shepherd and talking to him. ''He just crossed the room to her without a look for the other. But apart from that, it's not really clear. They're all a bit shy right now, dogs and humans.''

''Yeah, well, I can get that.''

 

They kept chatting for a while, looking at what was happening around them. Tony noticed that Bucky didn't spend time with a dog in particular, just roamed around the room, petting the dogs that crossed his road. Steve, meanwhile, seemed to have found a new friend in a young Labrador, which followed him until he finally gave up and sat down, taking the dog in his lap. The smile on Tony's face must have been less discreet than he thought it to be, because Natasha and Clint both snorted, and he flushed lightly.

 

''He's cute, uh?'' smirked Natasha, winking at Clint.

''The dog? Oh yeah, adorable,'' said Tony as innocently as possible, pointedly ignoring  their stares.

''I'm not talking about _her_ , you idiot. What did you two talk about? Got a date yet?''

''Shut up,'' he muttered. ''Did you look at him? Far out of my league. Plus, I'm pretty sure those two are together.''

''Oh, so you _are_ interested!''

 

He grumbled while his friends – talk about some friends – laughed at him but didn't answer, ignoring them and looking at his watch. It would soon be time to leave for all of them; Tony had some things to talk about with some volunteers, and had a meeting with some very boring people who wanted him to give money in weapons rather than financing a ''dumb association with freaking dogs'' – their words, not his. He really couldn't wait for it to happen; the only reason he hadn't yet told them to fuck off somewhere far away was that Pepper had asked him to be nice, and what Pepper asked for, he usually did. But, really, the will to end these painful meetings was truly there. He had told them about a million times that he wasn't interested in paying for weapons anymore. He helped the army a lot in his own way; he designed protective equipments, gave prosthesis and service dogs to veterans, monthly gave money to associations that helped veterans' families, but it looked like it wasn't enough for them. He sighed, and his two friends turned to look at him.

 

''Are you okay?''

''Fine. I just… got a meeting with some idiots later in the day. I'm tired of them asking me for weapons when they _know_ that the answer will be no. D'you think they will understand that I won't ever design them again?''

''Probably not. You said it yourself, they're stupid. Do you want me to scare them for you?''

 

Tony snorted; the idea of Natasha scaring some smarty pants with her terrifying smile and awfully high heels (that _could_ kill and _had_ already killed someone; Clint had confided in him in one very hazy night that he was still mentally scarred some ten years later) was pretty nice, even if he knew that it could never happen. Pepper and Natasha were good friends, but that didn't mean that they wouldn't get in a fighting match if Natasha tried something.

 

''Appreciate the offer, but I can almost hear Pep shouting at me about 'what a terrible idea Tony! Did you think about the board?' so I'll have to say no. But remind me to ask you if they keep being stupid any longer.''

''Will do.''

''And seriously, Tony?'' Clint looked at him, suddenly serious. ''You're doing the right thing, okay?''

 

He stayed silent for a few seconds but finally nodded, relieved. Deep down, he knew that stopping the weapons' production all these years ago was the right thing to do, but these meetings, filled with all these stupid people telling him that he was getting young soldiers killed, were always excruciatingly painful; hearing that from Clint was nice, even if it didn't stop every doubt he had.

 

''Thanks, man. Now, what do you say? Should we separate them before we have a kidnapping to deal with?''

 

They smiled but nodded, Clint raising his voice to tell them that the dogs had to go back with their temporary owners. The young blond woman quickly hugged the German Shepherd that seemingly fell in love with her and stood up, wiping at her eyes; in a corner of the room, Steve was kissing the puppy's head, and Tony was pretty sure that _this_ would sell for a lot of money on a calendar. Note to himself: sell a calendar with hot veterans and cute puppies.

 

''Hey, Tony,'' suddenly interrupted a voice right next to him, and he jumped before placating a smile on his face, Bucky watching him a bit strangely. ''Thanks again for your help today. What you and Gizmo did was really appreciated. I guess we'll see each other again?''

''Probably, yeah. I'm around here a lot – usually, as soon as I hear about a new puppy being brought in, I run in here. You'll probably see me around in the next few weeks, and I'll be there when you get your dog, that's for sure, I never miss these days. I hope everything will be ok for you. I know the first few days can be pretty rough, but hang in there and _please_ don't shout at our shrinks, they hate that.''

''I can't guarantee anything,'' chuckled the other man, ''but I'll do my best, I swear. Have a nice day!''

''Yeah, thanks, you too.''

 

He watched him leaving but jumped – again, _God_ , he had to stop doing that – when someone touched his shoulder. He turned around and found himself face to face with Steve, a sheepish expression on his face.

 

''Sorry,'' he apologized, ''didn't mean to startle you.''

''It's fine, don't worry about that. I'm kinda jumpy when Gizmo is not around,'' he waved at his dog, playing with Lucky a few meters away. ''Something wrong? Did the puppies melt your heart?''

''Nothing wrong, no, but yes, they did. I don't know how you can resist them, they're just awfully cute. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for what you did for Bucky. I never quite know how to manage the panic attacks and… well, that was really nice to have Gizmo there. Thank you.''

''No big deal, Steve. And, if you want a small tip, you should ask Bucky what helps. Maybe he won't be able to tell you, but at least he can tell you what to avoid. Don't be afraid to talk about it, you don't have to be ashamed.''

''Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks for your help, and see you later, I hope. Have a nice day.''

''You're welcome, and, uh, you too. Bye, Steve.''

 

'See you later, _I hope_.' _God_ , Tony hoped so too. He watched him leave, and if he stared at his ass a bit more than necessary, well, no one but Gizmo and Lucky would know and they'd never tell.

And that was a great ass.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PUPPY!
> 
> In other news, Bucky and Tony talk about this stubborn ass that is Steve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.
> 
> I wrote and re-wrote and re-re-wrote this chapter, but I still hate it.  
> I don't have much time to write, because you know, exams, and I'm seriously beginning to get angry at this thing, so I'm posting it anyway, but GOD I'm sorry.
> 
> Anyway. I also am on Tumblr now! www.cityofaangels.tumblr.com ; I take prompts and love talking Marvel, and am generally a nice person, so come say hi if you want to!

A few days later, when Thor called him to inform that a new border collie puppy was adopted and ready to leave in his temporary family, Tony did not hesitate for more than a few minutes before whistling for Gizmo and leaving.

He had a beautiful empty day in front of him, and even if he had first planned to spend it in his workshop and tinker with some new stuff, he was glad for the opportunity to get outside and spend some time with a cute ball of fur – okay, _maybe_ puppies were one of his weaknesses, so what? He wasn't the only one, he knew it.

Happy was out of the country for a week, having accompanied Pepper to drive her around Japan, so Tony climbed in his most inconspicuous car and drove off. He already tended to get recognized no matter where he went, so better not to look for trouble by taking the Lamborghini out. Plus, Gizmo was more comfortable on this one, or so it seemed, at least. On the road, he put some ACDC on and sang loudly, absently wondering if today was a day where Bucky would be at the association, and if there was the slightest chance that he could meet Steve again…

The guy had really left a strong impression on him. Beautiful body and face notwithstanding, he was funny and pretty smart, and after their first false start, the short discussion they had had was a great one – the only problem was that he still didn't know what the relationship between him and Bucky was. Knowing Natasha, though, he wouldn't be surprised to have a full report on every last detail on both men. He had given up on trying to make her stop her creepy spy ways a few years before. Spy one day, spy all life, as had so wisely said Clint.

He smiled when he arrived in front of the building and noticed a dozen of cars; at least, he wouldn't be alone inside. He liked it when he could see people and talk with them for a while – if they wanted to. His smile only grew larger when he saw Bucky and Steve standing next to a car at the other end of the parking lot. He quickly got out and was about to greet them when Bucky's shouting stopped him in his tracks.

 

''What is _wrong_ with you, Steve, hm? What the fuck!'' he shouted and Tony winced, taking a step back.

''Buck…''

''Don't _Buck_ me, you asshole! You come back in one piece, miraculously, and your next brilliant idea to celebrate that is to go back on the field and, what, get killed? Loose both legs, so you got it worse than me?''

 

Tony heard Gizmo whimper next to him and he reached for his leash, stroking the dog to keep him quiet.

 

''C'me one, Giz, let's get out of here, we're not supposed to hear that.''

 

They went away quickly and silently; the last thing they heard before entering the building was a door closing loudly, followed by the noise of a car leaving. Tony didn't turn around when he heard someone opening the door pretty brusquely behind him, and kept walking to Thor's office, even when he heard panting and grunted swears.

He would never pretend to be a genius about humans and what they felt and thought, but even with his difficulties, he could still feel that Bucky would absolutely not appreciate it if an almost stranger went to him and tried to talk about what had just happened. So he would just let it pass, not say anything, and pretend that he hadn't even been here.

 

Thankfully, Thor and his general… Thor-iness helped distract him from what had just happened. The guy was pretty weird, and Tony still didn't get _where_ exactly the accent came from, but one thing was for sure: he had an awfully good instinct when dogs were concerned. Every puppy he had bought for the association had been an amazing choice; in good health, for the most part, with very important qualities and, even if that was just a small detail, they were always beautiful and extremely cute. This one was no exception: at just a few months old, she already showed that she was extremely curious and not afraid, not even when Gizmo was released and went to play with her; quite the opposite, actually, she barked at the older dog and jumped on him playfully, before following him around the strange room, stopping at every two paces when she smelt something interesting. She had bright eyes – one blue, the other brown – and her fur was soft, white interspersed with light brown.

 

''Thor,'' Tony announced solemnly after having played for a few minutes with both dogs, ''that is probably the cutest one I've ever seen.''

''You say that every time I bring a new young dog in here, my friend!'' chuckled the big blonde, playfully shoving Tony – and no, he didn't stumble, _not at all_.

''Well, okay, maybe. But look at her! Can't I keep her?''

''Most unfortunately, it will not be possible. We have new volunteers that are waiting very impatiently to give her a home. Do you wish to meet them?''

''I mean, I'm here, so why not?''

''Good decision. I am sure you will like them.''

 

Raising a curious eyebrow, Tony clipped the leash on Gizmo's harness and followed Thor out of the room, across the corridors and finally in a bigger room where a family of four was apparently waiting for them. There were two women, standing nervously in front of the windows, with two young children – an older boy and what was probably his sister – playing around them and globally making a lot of noise for such young human beings.

 

''Greetings, ladies and gentleman!'' Thor boomed when entering the room and Tony was not surprised – though he still hid a smirk – when they all jumped visibly and turned around to see what was happening.

''Hi guys,'' he waved awkwardly, winking at the two children who were gaping at him. ''There's someone who'd like to meet you.''

 

Thor released Lilo, the puppy, and the children shrieked and almost jumped on her, freezing two seconds before actually doing it.

 

''Moms, can we pet her?'' the girl asked, raising big blue eyes which were probably impossible to resist.

''Don't ask us,'' answered one of the women. ''These gentlemen are the ones responsible for the dogs, ask them.''

''You can pet them if you wish to, but be cautious, she is young and small, and sometimes a bit afrai –''

 

But Thor was stopped in his explanation by Lilo, who had apparently had enough of caution for one day and had ran at the two children, slipping miserably on the floor and landing upside-down in front of them. That didn't seem to phase her, though; after a short while of silence, she got up again and barked a couple of times, licking the boy's ankle until he carefully crouched down and took her in his lap.

Tony watched them with a touched smile, always the tiniest bit of worry and sadness in his heart when he thought about the fact that they'd have to leave the dog in a few months, though, before looking up at the two women who were holding their hands for him to shake.

 

''Glad to meet you, ladies,'' he greeted them with a grin. ''Thanks a lot for helping us with a dog.''

''Thanks for what _you_ do, mister Stark. My dad was an ex-military, so I can appreciate the importance of helping veterans.''

''Oh, well, that's nothing,'' Tony smiled, feeling his ears go red. ''And please, call me Tony, ''mister Stark'' was my dad. I'm sorry I have to ask, but do your children know that Lilo will only stay a year?''

''Well, hum,'' answered the lady, coughing awkwardly. ''They're not _really_ our children, actually. We're a foster family, actually, they'll probably stay for a few months only. Anyway, we explained why we're doing it and everything, so even if they're staying for longer than expected, they're aware of it.''

 

And yes, this time, Tony was definitely blushing. He turned to Thor for help, but the guy was crouched next to the kids, playing with the puppy too.

 

''Uh. Sorry about that, then, I didn't know. I'm kind of famous for being a bit awkward and saying what I shouldn't say. Anyway, it's great that you can help them and help us at the same time. Again, thank you for what you do. They look really happy.''

''Don't worry, there's no way you could have known,'' one of the women answered gently, smiling at him. ''And yeah, they are, as much as they can be in a foster family, I guess. You should have seen their faces when we told them we were getting a puppy for a few months. I honestly thought they were going to run in here, they were that impatient.''

 

After that, the conversation went smoothly for a few more minutes, the women explaining how they had become a foster family and why that was such an important thing to them. Tony listened closely, smiling when they talked about their few adventures along the way, and frowning when they admitted that they had to overcome a lot of stereotypes from people who didn't think two women could form a good family. But they had finally been accepted, and the two kids had been with them for a few weeks now, until their mom got better and could take them back.

they left about forty-five minutes later, all the important phone numbers in hand, and car stocked with puppy food; Lilo barked when she left the building, running around her temporary owners' ankles and Thor looked at her with what definitely seemed to be love in his eyes.

 

''Come on, Thor,'' Tony gently teased him when they got back inside, ''you should know you can't fall in love with the dogs, we can't keep them. At least you should see her again in a few weeks, right?''

 

But he didn't really hear the answer, because, at the same time, Bucky got out of one of the therapy rooms, eyes red-rimmed and hands shaking.

 

''Go on, big guy, I'll meet you in a few minutes.''

 

He turned around under Thor's surprised stare and followed Bucky out, Gizmo a few steps behind. He was pretty sure that the veteran knew he was here; he wasn't trying to be quiet, quite the opposite actually, and Bucky couldn't miss the sound of Gizmo's paws on the floor. He didn't protest or told Tony to fuck off, though, so he just kept following him, stopping in the same small patch of grass they had been in a few days back.

They stayed silent for a while this time; Bucky tried to light a cigarette with shaking hands, and finally succeeded after a few tries. He took some deep puffs and his right hand automatically began to pet Gizmo when the dog hit his legs with his head.

 

''You know,'' finally said Tony, breaking the silence, ''when I got back from Afghanistan, I didn't really think rationally. At first, I wanted to get back there, and get revenge in one way or another; didn't matter how really, I just _needed_ to see that the ones who kidnapped me were dead. After the anger kinda quieted down, I got depressed, and I could spend whole days staring at the ceiling without doing anything; that's when Pepper forced me to go and see someone. I wasn't right in my head, there's no other way to put it, really. What I saw and what I experienced fucked me up, and I couldn't think rationally for a long time. If you'd given me a plane and a sword, I'd probably have gone back and tried to do something, even if there wasn't any way I could have come back alive.''

''So you heard, uh? Thought you were there when I shouted at Steve,'' mumbled Bucky, voice hoarse.

''I left as soon as I understood what was going on. Listen, Bucky, you know Steve and I don't, but if there's something I can tell you, it's that PTSD fucks with people's heads. I learned that the hard way, and I know that it's hard to accept it when that's the results of it, but Steve doesn't want to hurt you when he does and says that.''

''I know that. God, Tony, I _know_ , but Steve… He can't stand being here and doing nothing, he just _can't_ , the military has always been his main goal and the only thing he could see himself doing and right now… Well, we lost it all, except he can't see that right now, he still thinks he can go back there, but…''

''But you can't let him go back?''

''God, no. The moment I realized what had happened, that I'd lost my arm… That was _terrifying_ , and I don't want Steve to risk it all again without me by his side. I just- I can't let him happen, and-''

''Hey, hey, Bucky, come on, breathe, it's all right. Take a deep breath for me, okay, slowly, that's it. It's fine, you're safe now, and you'll find a solution, I swear you will, just breathe..''

 

A few minutes passed, before Bucky wiped at his eyes and groaned loudly.

 

''I hate these panic attacks, for fuck's sake. So annoying.''

''Yeah, I won't disagree, they really are. I'm not your shrink or anything, so feel free to tell me to fuck off, but did you talk about Steve with one of our doctors?''

''I did, yeah, just today. They gave me tips and stuff, and that's nice, but they also told me that they couldn't really do anything unless Stevie went to see them by himself.''

''And?''

''And that's what we're here right now, because this idiot won't see a shrink. Tells me he's fine, that other people need it more, _maybe another day, Bucky_. He's a stubborn ass, I can tell you that. So, what am I supposed to do, uh? Look at him leave for the field again and wave without doing anything? _Fuck_.''

 

They fell silent once more, Tony thinking furiously about possible solutions, before he suddenly got an idea – maybe not a brilliant one, but that was at least a beginning.

 

''I know someone, name's Sam Wilson, he works at one of the veterans center in the city. Technically, he's a shrink, yeah, but right now he's the one who helps vets find something to do when they come back from the field. Maybe it could help? Like, maybe if Steve finds something to do again, he'll realize that there's not just the military in life?''

''I… I'm not sure it'll help, but I guess that we could try. Nothing too risky about it, right?''

 

And maybe, _maybe_ , if Tony had known what was going to happen, he would have tried to disagree with Bucky and take his idea back. But the fact was, he genuinely thought it could help, so he nodded and patted Bucky's shoulder awkwardly.

 

''Yeah, sure, nothing too risky about it. Also, uh… I'm guessing you need a ride to get back home?''

''Oh, well, yeah, I guess Steve's not going to come back right now. Stubborn ass, I'm telling you. But I can take the subway, don't worry about that.''

''Yeah, no, no way am I letting you live the hell that is a subway full of people and noise. My car's right there, it's a beautiful day, I can drive you around. You got any stuff that you need to take before you leave?''

 

At Bucky's nod, he followed him back into the building and waited for him in the hallway, smiling and waving at some people he knew. When Bucky came back a few minutes later, Clint was following him and-

Was he really _staring at his ass_?

 

''Hey, Barnes!'' Clint called as they were about to leave. ''Come back whenever you want, uh? I'll wait for you right here, you can't miss me.''

 

And Tony was about to protest, remind Clint of the basic rules of politeness, but Bucky just bursted out laughing and winked, waving at him over his back, Tony frozen a few steps behind.

 

This day was _weird_.


End file.
